Rope-holder



J. W. ABEL.

ROPE HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 22, 1919.

Patented Nov. 15, 1921..

E Dr T JOHN W. ABEL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

ROPE-HOLDER,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov.15,1921.

Application filed October 22, 1919. Serial No. 332,447.

To all whom it may concern:

7 Be it known that I, J OHN W. ABEL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Tmprovementsin Rope-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in rope holders, and has for its object the provision in a rope holder of means for securely holding a rope when strain is exerted upon one end of the rope. Another object is the provision in a rope holder of means adapted to securely hold a rope when strain is exerted from one end and to release said rope upon the release of said strain.

Other objects Will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which,

Figure 1, is a side elevational view of my invention, with parts removed, showing a rope attached,

Fig. 2, is a sectional view taken on substantially line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3, is a front elevational view of the frame used in my invention,

Fig. 4:, is a central longitudinal sectional view of the frame used in my invention,

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on substantially line 5-5 of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 6, is a front elevational view of the lever used in my invention.

The approved form of construction, as illustrated in the drawings, comprises a frame having one end bifurated to form the bifurcated portions 6. The bifurcated portions 6 are provided with openings 7 therethrough. The opposite end of the frame has an extending lug 8, which is provided with an opening 8. The frame is mounted to some stationary object, such as a post, by means of suitable fastening means 7 being inserted in the openings 7 and 8. The bifurcated members 6 are provided intermediate the ends of each with a humped portion 9, in which is formed a suitable recess 9. The lower end of the frame is corrugated, so as to form the corrugations or teeth 10, suitable guide members 11 being provided at opposite sides of the corrugated portion and projecting perpendicularly from the frame. A bell-crank lever 11 is adapted to be used with the frame, and pro- 18Ctlng laterally from opposite sides of the lever 11, intermediate theends thereof, are trunnions 12 which, when i the lever is in operative position, are adapted to engage in the recesses or bearings 9. Provided at the upper end of the member 11 is an interrupted eye or loop 13. Provided at the lower end of the member 11' is an enlarged arcuate plate, which is provided on its inner surface with corrugations. As shown in F igs. .1 and 4, the corrugated portion of the frame is also formed arcuate, so as to allow perfect meshing of the teeth on themember 14 with the teeth 10 formed on the frame. As is shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5, the corrugations 10 are curved outwardly slightly between their ends, the teeth Or corrugations on the rear face of the plate 14: of the lever 11 being correspondingly curved inwardly for the desired cooperation.

My invention is adapted for a variety of uses in which it is desired to have a rope securely fastened to some object. Principally among these uses may be mentioned its use to retain a clothes line in position for use, or to secure the ropes by means of which a hammock is suspended. In using my device, a rope 17 engages in the looped portion 13 and is then passed downwardly between the guide members 11 so as to lie in contact with the corrugated portion of the frame. The lever or gripping arm 11 being pivotally mounted in the bearings 9, upon pressure being exerted upon the rope 17' so as to force the looped portion outwardly from the frame, engages the free end 18 of the rope between the member 14 and the corrugated portion of the frame, thereby securely clamping the rope to the frame. It is evident that the great strain which is exerted upon the end 17 of the rope, tends to clamp the rope more securely to the frame. It is also evident that upon release of the strain from the member 17, the free end 18 of the rope is thereby loosely engaged and is by no means clamped in position. This feature of my invention affords a means of tightening the portion 17 of the rope by eX- erting downward strain upon the portion 18, in which case the rope would assume the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. This is due principally to the fact that the rope is clamped by means of alever, without the employment of any cam arrangement.

In the use of a clothes line, it is oftentimes desirable to run the clothes line to several posts, connecting it to each one. In my invention I have provided a loop 16 upon the lever or gripping arm 11, to which. the free end of the rope may be attached by forming therein a suitable loop 19. The portionof the rope which proceeds from the loop 19 then becomes an equivalent of the portion 17 that is, it may be passed over the loop 13 provided upon another one of my devices which may be used, and then clamped inthe manner shown in Fig. 1.

In constructing the frame which is used with my invention, the bifurcated portions may be reduced or formed shorter, and the sides provided with lugs through which the openings 7 may be formed. This, however, would not alter the operation of the device in'any way.

By the used a bell crank lever as shown, ample clearance is provided whereby the lever can be easily manipulated for engaging a rope or for releasing a rope therefrom. By the use of this form of device, moreover, a very strong durable structure is provided. I have found in practice that by the use of the corrugations curved outwardly as shown in Fig. 5 and with the cooperating corrugated portion of the lever 11 formed slightly concave, a very efiicient holding means is provided which is adapted to hold a rope without permitting it to slip and without cutting the rope. With this arrangement in use, corrugatlons formed with rounded edges so as to insure the rope against being out are effective for holding a rope securely against slipping. By having the corrugated inner face of the plate 14 of the lever 11 disposed substantially along a line passing between the eye 13 of the lever and the axis about which'the lever is pivotally mounted, and arranging the teeth 10 in a suitable cooperating position, the facility with which the rope can be applied to the holder so as to be held thereby is increased to a maximum, since in this construction there is no part of the device located along the course of the rope which will interfere with the easy application of the rope to position. By employing a fork comprising oppositely disposed arms 13 turned inwardly, I have provided means for attaching additional leads of rope as may be desired, there being no danger of the rope slipping off from one of the arms 13 when a pull is exerted on the rope.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into efiect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. 1, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims. I

Having described my invention, what I claim 'as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A rope holder comprising a frame, corrugations on the face of said frame curved outwardly between theirends, a lever pivotally mounted on said frame, corrugations on said lever having an inward curvature corresponding substantially to the outward curvature of said first named corrugations, and a rounded fork on said lever for engagement by a rope for forcing the corruga tions of the lever toward the corrugations of the frame, substantially as described.

2. A rope holder comprising a frame, guides in spaced relation on said frame, curved corrugations on the face of the frame between said guides, a lever pivotally mounted on said frame, curved corrugations on said lever opposite the first namedcorrugations, and a fork mounted on said lever comprising two oppositely disposed arms turned inwardly at their ends, substantially as described.

3. A rope holder comprising a frame, corrugations on the face of said frame curved outwardly between their ends, a lever pivotally mounted on said frame, corrugations on said lever having an inward curvature corresponding substantially to the outward curvature of said first named corrugations, a rounded fork on said lever for engagement by a rope for forcing the corrugations of the lever toward the corrugations of the frame, and a loop on the back of said lever for the attachment of the free end of said rope, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4;. A rope holder comprising a frame, guides in spaced relation on said frame, corrugations on the face of the frame between said guides, a lever pivotally mounted on said frame, corrugations on said lever oppos site the first named corrugations, alooped fork mounted on said lever for engagement by a rope, and a loop on the back of said lever for the attachment of a portion of the free end of said rope, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have signedmy name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN W. ABEL. V 

